U.S. Judge In Philadelphia Weighs Same Sex Marriage Challenge
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The gay marriage fight in Pennsylvania has moved to a federal courtroom in Philadelphia, where a U.S. judge is being asked to recognize a couple's same-sex marriage from Massachusetts.
Pennsylvania is the only northeast state that bans both same-sex marriage and civil unions. But advocates are trying to change that through various test cases.
Cara Palladino and Isabelle Barker married in Massachusetts in 2005. They now live in Philadelphia and work at nearby Bryn Mawr College.
Their lawyers say that more than 600 Pennsylvania laws and statutes discriminate against them by not recognizing their marriage.
Lawyers for Gov. Tom Corbett want U.S. District Judge Mary McLaughlin to dismiss the case. They say the plaintiffs must show specific harms and sue that agency, not pursue a broad-based lawsuit against the governor.
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